Who's your leader?

In your mind, who is the most influential leader in the world?  Many might argue that President Barack Obama is, simply because of the position that he holds.  Which is what is stirring in my mind right now. 

Is he your most influential leader?

I've known many leaders who use the power of their position to its full strength, and their is nothing wrong with that.  They get a high percent of efficiency from their employees.  But, what if a leader used more than their positional strength to motivate and influence the people around, and under, them?  I'm willing to bet that the people around the 2nd person will consistently outperform the previously stated group.



Iatola Komani, the spiritual, and overall, leader of Iran not only uses his positional power, but also his leadership traits and characteristics to influence the entire country of Iran.  He mainly uses spiritual speeches and references to help guide the citizens thoughts in the direction that he wants them to go.  Now that is Inspirational Leadership!!!!


Many effective leader's names are well known because they can mix their personal leadership style and effectiveness with the positional leadership authority they possess.  President Obama is an excellent example, because he can become instant friends with people, which allows him to influence them, but he also uses his positional power when needed.  Those leaders that use both powers, as needed, are going to achieve the greatest success, and influence their priorities the most over the course of history.

hectic schedule's

The week 5 blues...  everyone gets them.  That sluggish feeling when school has just started wearing on you.  Everyone is still used to their summer routine of waking up whenever they please, moseying around most of the day, and then taking a nap right before bed.  Then week 5 of school hits, it hasn't just been a 4 week long bad dream, school, and classes are back.

Papers pile up, test after test, and the constant need to peruse Facebook and take a break all weigh on people's time.  All of these are contributing factors to the depression that hits in right around this time.  Not to mention any extra curricular activities that may throw a few hours into the mix, as well.

It takes a VERY dedicated and prioritizing individual to make sure that all the assignments, tests, and extracurriculars are kept up with and maintained at a high level.  Otherwise, all of them may suffer as a result.  That's where roommates, or close friends come into place.  They can help you stay organized, keep your priorities on the right track, and help you out when you're in a cram.

Barbara Kingsolver

Props are due to Ms. Kingsolver for writing an excellently written book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle"

Barbara Kingsolver's experiences with agriculture are one and the same with my own.  Never having a farm of her own before.  She is in awe of the experience she is thrust into, and loves every second of it.  I did not grow up on a farm, but have worked on several throughout my life, loving every moment, every sweat that has soaked my shirt, and every injury that occasionally comes along with the grueling life of a farmer.

Barbara specifically notes the mood and culture difference from southwestern Virginia and Arizona.  While visiting Phoenix, Arizona last January I can was opened up to a whole new culture, seemingly sprung up in the middle of a desert, surviving only because of recent human technologies, such as irrigation.  And now moving to Virginia Tech and Blacksburg in southwest Virginia I am experiencing a culture identical to what she saw.  One that is open to and friendly to its neighbors, compared to Arizona, which seems to be too busy to care about others.

Each person has their own particular desire on place to live.  Some enjoy the city life, while others love the peaceful nature of the countryside.  But each of us should still be aware of where our food comes from, and not just consume haphazardly.  This is something that needs to be addressed across the nation to better educate the citizens and to keep them aware that their actions are sometimes hurting their food supply.

Leadership??? or Management???

Would you prefer a good leader?, or a good manager?

Of course its based of what you need done, right?  But can one person effectively do both at the same time?

Leadership is defined as a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task, by wikipedia. 


Management, defined by Wikipedia, is the acts of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives efficiently and effectively. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal.


While leadership has a more broad definition, management is very specific in the fact that it sites controlling as an option to obtain the desired results.  Those results are even defined as "common" when talking about management, they are specific to what the manager wants to achieve.  


So, while leadership is the process of influencing other to achieve a common goal.  Management is only concerned with the process of the individual goal, not how to get there, as long as it gets done. 

After a loss...

After Virginia Tech's loss to Boise State this past Monday all of Blacksburg was in dismay, including myself.  Watching the game on a friend's porch I hung my head during the last 30 seconds when Boise was able to take a knee and run out the clock. 

This game was supposed to be the beginning of Virginia Tech's National Title Run.  Being ranked 10th overall in the beginning of the season and their strength of schedule this was going to be their year(should they win all their games) to make it to the National Championship Game in Arizona, and win it this time!  Until our loss to Boise State Monday night...

Now we must move on, focus on JMU this Saturday, and ECU the saturday after that.  All while hoping that the college football gods shine on us and give us another chance by having a few teams ahead of us lose.  Who knows? We might even get a rematch against Boise in the NC come January...

Just as I was settling down into my new college experience, getting accustomed to this new campus lifestyle, I have been thrown a curveball by the big man upstairs.  Classes were going extremely well, with very little amount of a hangover from stepping up from a 2-year school to a 4-year institution.  Then it hit me, my grandmother is in very critical condition and likely won't make it past this weekend...

My memories of my grandmother are from when she was in her late 70's and still working on her farm by herself.  My grandfather died when I was 4 in a tractor accident and Grandmomma worked the farm for the next 5 years, all on her own.  Her farm is in Culpeper, Virginia, just outside the town of Culpeper.  I always have remembered my grandmother as a very strong woman, still doing farm and yard work until she was diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease, at the age of 86. 

Shortly after she was diagnosed we had her moved into an assisted living facility to better suit her needs.  This was a major emotional rollercoaster in my life because of the shock that I experienced when my eye's were finally opened to the condition she was in and knowing that she would never be the same strong individual that I had known my entire life. 

Now this shock has been taken to the extreme.  Knowing that in a few short days, likely, she will no longer be with us.  This brings into retrospect everything that I have experienced over the past few months, weeks, and days.  Life had been going on steadily and progressively, with highs and lows, goods and bads.  Then you realize that there are just some things you can't control and you just have to react to.  Like the loss of a loved one.

How we react really defines our outlook on life, and the way in which we view the world.  This view can be changed by by events in our life, but it is our overall attitude in life that can sway the outlook one way or another.  There's no way of knowing how I will react when the official word is given.  I can only hope that my attitude on life can help me stay consistent, as I always have.